Risky biz: Manatees & inland waters

Scientists at the Dauphin Island (Ala.) Sea Lab (DISL) have been tracking manatees for the past 10 years along the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM). They’ve found that the mammals travel to places that residents may not realize they go, like the inland waters of Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and Lake Borgne in southern Louisiana. “The population in Florida is growing, but there isn’t more habitat … We are finding more traveling outside of Florida,” said Ruth Carmichael, senior marine scientist at the Sea Lab and a co-author of the new study. They are very curious animals, and love fresh water. There’s been an unprecedented amount of fresh water flowing from the Mississippi River into the GoM due to heavy rains in the Midwest; and the nearly 100 days, and counting, that the Bonnet Carre’ Spillway has been discharging millions of gallons of fresh water a day that eventually drains into the GoM. It is unclear how many manatees will cross into Louisiana in 2019, but they love fresh water, according to researchers, which means that the unprecedented surge of fresh water from the Mississippi River into the northern Gulf of Mexico this year may result in the creatures expanding their ranges. In 2006, there was a manatee sighting in the Memphis area. The DISL study indicates that as the creatures navigate the Gulf Coast, they're moving through the same channels used by small boats. The numbers are slowing creeping up in Louisiana. In 2018, Louisiana wildlife officials put signs out at boat launches in south Louisiana. They recommend boaters watch out, especially in shallow waters, and idle when a manatee is sighted for both safety measures and helping the state report and record sightings. (Source: NOLA.com and DISL 07/05/19)